San Francisco, CA — Over the past year, co-organizers Stella Gould and Annie Orzen have been working hard to bring an exciting new concert series to life. The Women in Jazz Concert Series, launching this summer at San Francisco’s beautiful Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, is a free-to-the-public event designed to spotlight the incredible talents of local women and nonbinary jazz musicians.
This series is about more than just music — it's about creating opportunities for local artists, celebrating legendary non-male composers of the past, and amplifying voices that have too often been overlooked. Jazz has long been a male-dominated field, and this project offers a much-needed platform for artists who have been historically underrepresented in both jazz and the broader music industry.
In addition to generating professional performance opportunities for these extraordinary artists, the series also seeks to offer the San Francisco community free, live music, while activating one of the city’s most scenic and underused outdoor venues. The Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, tucked within McLaren Park, provides a natural and welcoming environment for residents of all ages to gather, listen, and enjoy the fun! We hope to see you at one or many of the shows this summer.
FETURING
● Mae Powell — Bay Area singer-songwriter Mae Powell fills her music with a loving optimism. Raised in San Diego, she grew up surrounded by folk musicians recording in a home studio built by her family. After moving to San Francisco in 2014 to studybroadcasting and audio production at SFSU, Powell began writing her own music, drawing inspiration from everyday connections. While working in a Mission District flower shop, she was invited to sing weekly with the in-house jazz band at Amnesia, deepening her musical roots in the local jazz community. Mae has been a staple of San Francisco’s music scene ever since.
● Jaycie Grady 4Tet — A powerhouse drummer and composer from San Diego, Jaycie Grady is a graduate of the prestigious RJAM (Roots, Jazz, and American Music) program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Blending bebop, fusion, and free jazz influences, she’s an active collaborator across the Bay Area and a passionate advocate for visibility of trans jazz musicians in the local scene.